Nova Scotia

Photo: Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture & Heritage

The maritime province of Nova Scotia can not only boast of having some Canada's most beautiful scenery but can also claim an important of Canada's cultural history. Take your motorhome through Nova Scotia and you'll find sandy ocean shorelines, historic fortresses and the rugged Highlands of Cape Breton.

Charming Nova Scotia is synonymous with tall ships, succulent lobster, Celtic music and wild horses. Its capital, Halifax is a lively port city with an art college, symphony orchestra and indie music scene, plus 18th and 19th century architecture alongside a modern business district.

This sprawling province covers 4,600 miles of diverse coastline dotted with lighthouses. It is connected to mainland North America and New Brunswick by the isthmus of Chignecto and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, so nowhere is more than 56 km from the sea.

Many a famous Canadian fiddler hails from Cape Breton Island, known for its lively music influenced by Scottish jigs and reels. It’s no coincidence that the name of this southernmost Atlantic province, one of Canada’s original three, means “New Scotland.” There are times you’d swear you were in Scotland, for example when quaffing whisky at some great pub and hearing Scottish Gaelic. The ancient language is actually still spoken fluently by many Nova Scotians—some estimates put the number in the thousands. A lot of them are on Cape Breton Island, which sits atop Nova Scotia.

The highway running through the coastal landscape of Cape Breton Highlands National Park is one of North America’s most spectacular scenic drives – an absolute must-do in your Canadian RV itinerary.

Cape Breton is also a mecca for sailing, whale-watching and scuba diving.

Sable Island is another picturesque part of the province.

Kejimkujik National Park is Nova Scotia's inland of historic canoe routes and portages.

Halifax, the provincial capital of Nova Scotia is a modern port city teeming with culture and heritage and another perfect place to begin an RV road trip around Atlantic Canada. On a peninsula that reaches into the North Atlantic, Halifax has the largest population East of Montreal.